Adrian Newey responds to Christian Horner's autobiography claims

Adrian Newey has addressed criticisms made by former Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner in his new memoir, ‘Drive’. In the book, Horner claimed that Newey intended to ‘abandon ship’ at the first sign of adversity during the difficult 2014 Formula 1 season, a period marked by Red Bull's struggle with Renault power units.

Speaking at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Newey clarified that his frustration during that era stemmed from Renault's perceived lack of intention to resolve technical deficiencies rather than a desire to leave the team. He noted that while a chassis designer accepts a manufacturer's poor performance, the situation becomes ‘bleak’ when there is no visible effort to address the issues.

Separately, Newey commented on the current performance of Aston Martin and its partnership with Honda. He admitted that Honda’s progress has fallen short of expectations in their first year back, noting that the manufacturer is currently in a more challenging position than when they partnered with Red Bull in 2019. However, he expressed confidence in Honda's ability to accelerate development for future regulations.

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen declined to comment on the autobiography, stating that he does not read books and prefers to focus on the present and future rather than revisiting past events.